Published by Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian ChurchDecember 2011 Issue 11

Worship 1-3, 11Invite 2Serve 2, 5, 9, 14From the Pastors 3Grow: Adult 4-6Grow: Children 6-8Grow: Student 9-10Connect, Concerns & Calen-dar 2-3, 12-14

Sermons for December

Advent

Dec 4 Luke 2:19Pondering

Dec 11 Luke 2:18Wondering

Dec 20Christmas Cantata

Dec 24Glorifying

Dec 25Rejoicing

I Am

Jan 1 John 6I am the Bread of Life

Wait for it...

SHPC Staff Guide

Larry Coulter Senior PastorMike Killeen Associate PastorBritta Dukes Associate PastorSherry Smith Adult MinistryChris Gordon Children’s MinistryZack Uzzle Music MinistryBeth Watson Music MinistryPattie Lawrence Director of PreschoolBelva Koerth Office ManagerGreg Merrell Business ManagerKimbol Soques Communications

Subscribe to this news-letter online:tinyurl.com/shpc-nl

I love this time of year... the crispevening air (well, some nights),

the scent of evergreen, the soundof carols and the glow of twinklelights everywhere. I love every-thing about it! Well, almost....

What I don't love is the busynessthat ekes in and tries to take

over... the feeling of frenzy thatlurks at the edges and tries its bestto steal the meaning of this beauti-ful season.

I find that I have to constantly re-mind myself that it is not about

gifts but THE GIFT, and we are stillwaiting for Christmas. The Christchild has not been born yet.

This is pregnant time. This is AD-VENT. We are still awaiting the

arrival of Christ into the world, andwe are waiting with anticipationand expectation. And while wewait, we prepare. Somethingamazing and miraculous is about totake place, and it is necessary toslow down and prepare our hearts.We are awaiting the arrival of GodIncarnate!

In our culture of instant gratifica-tion and hurry, the whole idea of

Advent seems almost ironic. Sohow can we stay centered on the

arrival of Jesus and the meaning ofthis season in the midst of this fast-paced, frenetic time of year?

Perhaps every time we feel hur-ried or rushed or out of breath,

we use it as an impetus to pause, tobreathe, to reflect and to reorientourselves on the gift that is aboutto be revealed and what this giftactually means for our lives today.

And in response to the magnitudeof God's gift of LOVE and GRACE

and SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE…let us worship! What better giftcould we give to God this seasonthan the gift of ourselves?

See you Sunday —

2

Come one come all! to a Family Christmas Carol SingSunday, December 11th, 6 p.m.Bring the kids for an informal, fun time of sing-ing Christmas carols around the piano in thesanctuary, followed by hot chocolateand wassail.

Prizes will be given for the tackiestChristmas sweaters! Now’s your chance — go all out!

Children’s Christmas PageantAll members of the congregation are invited to

the Children’s Christmas program, The Christ-mas HAROLD. Please join us for this fun in-

terpretation of the Christmas Story. The 2011production will be held Sunday, December4th at 5:30 p.m. A reception and photo op-portunities with the “cast” will immediatelyfollow. For more information, please contactChris Gordon at chris@shpc.org

A Bluegrass ChristmasOn December 11th, the worshipband will be pulling out the stops!Complete with banjo, mandolin andharmonica, please join us in bothservices for a Bluegrass Christmas!With old favorites and a few newones, we will worship in the joy ofthe season and in the hope of thecoming King! Be there or be BLUE!

Christmas Cantata: Tom Fettke and Max Lucado's"One Incredible Moment"On December 18th, at 9:30 and 11 a.m., experience worship inmusic and story as the SHPC Cantata Choir and orchestra use theinspirational words of Max Lucado and the moving music of TomFettke to bring us more deeply into the spirit of Christmas.

&

Sunday of Service — December 18th @ 12Come and be one of Santa’s little helpers on Sun-day, December 18th after worship. Small groupswill be sent out to deliver many of the AngelTree gifts—or join in an on-campus Christmascard writing campaign to our international broth-

ers and sisters—or join an off-campus hands-on “grubby”project!

Christmas Seasonat SHPC

Advent Events

Christmas PageantDecember 4 at 5:30 p.m.

A Bluegrass ChristmasDecember 11 at 9:30 & 11 a.m.

Family Christmas Carol SingDecember 11 at 6 p.m.

Christmas CantataDecember 18 at 9:30 & 11 a.m.

Sunday of ServiceDecember 18 at 12 p.m.

Holiday WorshipServices

Christmas Eve – December 24

Christmas Eve Family Serviceat 4:00 p.m.

A contemporary service for the wholefamily. Nursery and child care for ages

0 to 5 is available.

Candlelit Service at 5:15 p.m.This contemporary candlelit worship

includes a children’s message. Nurseryand child care for ages 0 to 5 is avail-

able.

Candlelit Communion Serviceat 6:45 & 8:15 p.m.

Communion will be served during thistraditional candlelit service.

Christmas Day – December 25

Worship Service at 10:30 a.m.Worship at home or join us for a

Christmas Day meditative service.No childcare will be available.

3

January will kick off our "Praisefor the Past, Faith for the Fu-ture" capital campaign. Thecampaign will help us raise theresources necessary to reachour dream of becoming onechurch with three locations.Be watching for the JanuaryNewsletter for all the excitingdetails

Save the Date!Mark your calendar for a TownHall Meeting on Sunday, Janu-ary 8, after each worship inthe FMC. The topic? Our up-coming capital campaign,“Praise for the Past, Faith forthe Future.” See you there!

This Christmas we hope youjoin us for one of our fourChristmas Eve services.

On Christmas morning (thisyear on a Sunday) we wantyou to enjoy celebratingthe birth of Christ withyour family. In order tomake that happen we willbe providing an "at home"devotional for your Christ-mas morning. We will sendit out as an email attach-ment the week beforeChristmas or you can pickone up in the narthex. Con-tact the church office,church@shpc.org , to makesure we have your most-current email address.

We will also have a short,meditative service at thechurch on the 25th at 10:30a.m.

Update on St. John’s merger talks and ourcampus pastor search

Over the last few months the sessions of SHPC and St. John’sPresbyterian have been in talks about joining together in

our South multisite location. Our hope is that we can help bothcongregations by sharing resources to enhance both ministries.We are currently exploring renting their facility for worship andmid-week programming.

Our campus pastor search committee completed the ChurchInformation Form(CIF) that is the first step in looking for

our second-location campus pastor. We are now receiving re-sumes from people around the country. Asalways, continue to pray for all the plans be-ing made for this exciting work.

Jo Ann Kupernow residing at Longhorn Village9528 Anchusa TrailAustin, TX 78736

David & Laurie Bender1303 Clarkdale Ct.Houston TX 77094-3206

Diana Cary Gill117 Townhouse LaneCorpus Christi, TX 78412email: dcg522@att.netphone: 512-633-0198

Alan Hanna1659 W State Hwy 46Ste 115New Braunfels TX 78132-4745

Wally & Euna Faye PryorP.O. Box 15494Waco TX 76715-4794

Rachel and Jeff CloydRiley, Julia, Roxanna6505 Oasis DriveAustin TX 78749-2707

4

It seems to be a rather common misconceptionin the world, and even within churches, that

being good equals being a Christian. Now cer-tainly, the two have a connection but peopleseem to get the cause and affect parts mixed up.Being a "good person" does not make one a Chris-tian, though being a Christian should lead one tobecoming a good (or better) person.

Not only do more and more people seem tothink they can save themselves with their

good works (or don't need "saving" at all) but italso seems in recent years that it has become apercentage sort of thing. They may realize theycan't be perfect on their own but then assumethat all that's needed is to be "gooder than aver-age". They think as long as they are in the top 50percentile of "goodness" they'll be okay.

What does the Bible say?

If you declare with your lips that Jesus is Lordand believe in your heart that God raised him

from the dead, you will be saved. For one be-lieves with the heart and so is justified, and oneconfesses with the mouth and so is saved. Ro-mans 10:9-10 NRSV

F or it is by grace you have been saved,through faith-and this is not from your-

selves, it is the gift of God- not by works, sothat no one can boast. For we are God's handi-work, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do.Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

So scripture says you must realize that there isnothing you can do on your own, believe in

your heart that Christ died for your sins, acceptthat grace, and then profess that belief. Then,the more your understanding of and relationshipwith the living Christ deepens, the better personyou will become - not in order to "save" yourself,but in response to His love. And those goodworks aren't a way to buy your way into heaven;they are actually a part of God's original plan foryou and a way to live out your destiny as part ofGod's creation.

So, this Christmas, quit placing your eternalhope in just being "gooder than average" and

simply accept the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ.Hallelujah! And Merry Christmas!

“Gooder Than Average”

FILO is having abusy December!Due to theThanksgiving hol-iday, our serviceevent for Novem-ber has beenpostponed to De-cember 10th.We'll be makingand servingbreakfast on Sat-

urday morning for the IHN guests, please sign upfor what you'd like to bring over e-mail or onFacebook. Breakfast is to be served at 8:30 a.m.

Also, we'll be having our regularly scheduledstudy group on Sunday, Dec 11th, 5:30 – 7p.m. in the church library. Join us for our socialevent for December as well, a Christmas party!FILO-z Navidad will take place on Saturday,December 17th at 4:30 p.m. at the Grove Bou-levard Clubhouse (e-mail us for directions). We'llhave some food and fun, including a tackiestChristmas sweater contest. So come dressed inyour holiday WORST! There will also be a dessertand chili competition with prizes. Questions?Need more info? Look us up on Facebook oremail us at youngadults@shpc.org

5

MANY PEOPLE FEEL THAT the “senior” designationbegins about 10 years older than they are

today. If they are 50, they think it begins at 60.If they are 60, they think it begins at 70. Thefunny thing is that a 50 year old sees 60+ as asenior. But when he becomes 60, he then sees70+ as a senior. He will never become a "se-nior."

TODAY’S “SENIORS” ARE MORE active than everbefore. We are enjoying life. We may slow

down a bit, but we are having fun and enjoy our-selves and our friends. Sure, we enjoy some sed-entary activities, but we are participating inactivities that no one associates with seniors(like ziplining, kayaking, bus trips, etc).

AT SHPC, WE PERIODICALLY run into folks whowon't participate in SAM (senior adult minis-

try) activities because they are for the “olderfolks”. We even hear some folks our ages whodon't think they can attend our events becausethey aren't “seniors” yet.

AFTER DISCUSSING THIS SEVERAL times, the SAMCouncil voted to change the name to Prime-

Time. The council considered many alternativesand found that PrimeTime had the right conno-tations. We are in the prime of our lives and weare enjoying it. We want to reach out and in-clude more church members who are in theirPrimeTime. We don't want the label of "senior"to hold people back.

SO STARTING JANUARY 1, SAM will becomePrimeTime. To find out more about what

we’re doing, and to be added to our mailing list,email us at primetime@shpc.org !

Service Opportunities in December

CHRISTMAS BOXES FOR SENIORS will be collectedthrough December 4th in the narthex. For

more details, take a look atmembers.shpc.org/sradult/XmasBoxes.php

CAROLING AT EMERITUS BECKETT Meadows, De-cember 13th at 3:30 p.m.

SHPC has been invited to go caroling at Emeritus

Beckett Meadows (a senior community) again.Last year, several SAM members joined childrenfrom SHPC in caroling. Zach Uzzle will play thepiano and we will have a song leader. If you areinterested in joining the kids’ caroling, be at7709 Beckett Road by 3:30 on Tuesday, Decem-ber 13th.

VOLUNTEER AT TRINITY CHILD Development Cen-ter's Sharing with Santa Event, Saturday,

Dec 3rd, starting at 10 a.m.Trinity Child Development Center is a supportedmission of SHPC. It is a nonprofit child develop-ment center in northeast Austin. They need helpputting on their annual event for their students.More info is available atmembers.shpc.org/mission/TrinityChildCareCenter.php ;to help out, call Kathy or Gloria at 928-2212

BECOME AN ANGEL TO a teacher at Trinity ChildDevelopment Center

TCDC is looking for SHPC members to “adopt” ateacher at Trinity and commit to praying forthem on a daily basis. We would also ask thatthey send them a monthly note as well as a cardon their birthday. Anything else they wanted todo would be totally optional. Contact AliceLineberry at 512-457-7136 oralice.lineberry@dlapiper.com .

Groups through December:ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED CHRISTIAN MEN gath-

ers (almost) every Thursday at 10 a.m. inportable B. We won’t meet the 8th, due toIHN, but we’re here the rest of the time!Come one, come all! Contact Ron Miller, 512-892-1862 or ronald.miller1333@sbcglobal.net .

Join us for the FELLOWSHIP LUNCH BUNCH De-cember 10th at 11:30 a.m. We’re celebrat-ing the season at the Texas Land and CattleSteakhouse (5510 South I-35 at StassneyLane). If you've never attended the Fellow-ship Lunch Bunch, it is a great opportunity tobecome part of a group of friends who havelunch together once a month. You don't haveto attend each month — just whenever it fitsyour schedule.

Introducing PrimeTime!

continued, next page

6

Foundations’Fellowship, Service & FunWe wrap up our fall semester the first week ofDecember with the 2nd session of our AdventStudy. Watch for info on spring 2012 dates whenwe will be learning more about many of the par-ables. Even though our study is done, the funand service isn’t! Join us for either or both ofthese family events.

Sun. Dec. 4th right after the children’s Christ-mas Pageant we will gather for a Christmas Pot-luck Party in the FMC. E-mail Tracy Kuper atkupers@austin.rr.com so she can send you thee-vite invitation for RSVP and potluck contribu-tion information.

Sun. Dec. 11th at noon, join us in the FMC for anAngel Tree Gift Wrapping Party. Bring what youpurchased for your family’s angel tree recipientsand we will wrap them together in a group set-ting. The kids will make cards for the gifts andwe’ll all enjoy a pizza lunch. E-mail Tracy Kuperto RSVP by Dec 9th so she can pre-order the piz-za! We always enjoy meeting new folks and bothof these are fun, casual, family friendly eventsto come and connect with fellow church friends!

This time we will be ordering form the steak-house's group menu, which will help get ourfood out quickly. The servings are large andyou can split the meal with a friend. Larry(and hopefully Kim) will be joining us, too!Call Annie or Ron Ward by December 5th tomake a reservation ( 512-373-8803 orron-annie@att.net ) or sooner to see a copyof the menu. If you need a ride, we can car-pool from the church. Just tell Annie or Ronwhen you make your reservation.

GROAN-UPS GAME DAY: Tuesday, December13th at 10:00 a.m. in Room 7. Join us forSpinner Dominoes or a game of your choice.For more information, contact Stefan Haag at288-3479.

MARY-MARTHA CIRCLE invites you to a Christ-mas luncheon Thursday, December 1st, start-ing at 11 a.m. We will enjoy a program andmusic along with our catered meal. Call Di-ane O’Leary, 263-5592, by Tuesday, Novem-ber 29th to reserve your meal!

continued from previous page

wish you were there...at the R.S.V.P. Retreat at John Knox RanchAhhh, what a weekend for ourSHPC family! Crisp autumn airand clear blue skies…. anamazingly beautiful piece ofland to enjoy and explore….the company of goodfriends, both old andnew…. an opportunityto slow down for acouple of days andfocus on God….

Using the parable of the great ban-quet as our theme for the weekend, we

looked at how God has invited each of us to an incredibleKingdom celebration and how we want to R.S.V.P. “Yes, I will come!” Many

of our activities centered around preparation for the big party… a walk in the woodswith our families to collect items from nature and make centerpieces for the tables; tie-dying

continued, next page

7

submitted by Megan Gibbons

In November, the children have been learn-ing all about Fall Harvest, Thanksgiving andgiving to others. They also hosted their sec-ond annual Thanksgiving Feast. Familiescame together to enjoy a meal prepared bythe children while listening to them singsongs about giving thanks. It's a wonderfulcelebration and a great way to get everyonein the mood for the holiday's. What are youthankful for?

SHPC is thankful to all the families thathelped us exceed our Un-fundraiser goal!We are looking forward to fulfilling thisyears wish list to enhance every child's ex-perience here at SHPC. Have a safe andwonderful holiday!

t-shirts to wear to the shindig; making the invi-tations; baking bread, roasting meat and deco-rating cupcakes for the grand feast; singing,dancing and playing musical instruments togeth-er (who knew there’d be a jug band?!?!), andtopping it all off with some unforgettable skitsthat included the likes of Enrique Iglesias andMarge Simpson!

Other high-lights includ-ed hiking toBlue Hole,tossing footballs and frisbees around, dirt-slidingdown the hill outside the dining hall and pettingthe miniature horses, Samson and Brodie! Agood time was had by all, and consensus says…Let’s do it again next year!

Great families,fantastic food,

good times. I’mglad our RSVP

was “Yes”!—the Crawford family

8

Children’s Ministry News

GENEROSITYmaking someone’s day by giving something away

Holiday Cuddles... The holidays bring with them multiple church services, visi-tors to SHPC, and the opportunity to love on some babies! In an effort to allow our childcare staff time with family on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, we are adjustingschedules and offering SHPC members time in the nursery. Anyone interested in help-ing with nursery care for the 4:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. services on Christmas Eve, or the10:30 a.m. service on New Year’s Day should contact Chris Gordon ( chris@shpc.org ).

Send me to KidStufThe hustle and bustle of the holi-days is now in full swing, which iswhy we want to do our best thisAdvent season to slooooooooowdown and remind ourselvesand our kids about what weshould really be wrapped upin this Christmas, whichis… loving Jesus and lovingothers. We’ll be talking alot about making someone’s dayby giving something away, the defini-tion we’re using for this month’s virtue ofgenerosity.

To complement the lessons we’re teaching on Sundaymornings in UpStreet, we offer a Wednesday night family experi-ence for all elementary students and their parents (all kiddosmust be accompanied by a parent or guardian to attend). Howdoes it work? We meet in the Family Ministry Center for a 45-minute extravaganza of music and singing, skits, videos and in-teractive games that all focus on the virtue of the month. Andwhat better virtue to hone in on during the Christmas seasonthan generosity? It’s the perfect way to celebrate God’s amaz-ing and generous gift of love—the Christ child!

We hope you’ll join us for an unforgettable evening of fun…Wednesday, December 14th, from 6:30-7:15 p.m. in the Fami-ly Ministry Center. And if you have time, join us for dinner be-forehand... a buffet meal is served from 5:30-6:15 p.m. in thenarthex for $5/person (no reservations necessary, just show up).

See you at the show!

Children's Mission Oppor-tunity: Christmas Carol-ing at EmeritusAll children of the church areinvited to join us on Tuesday,December 13th, at 3:30 p.m.for a special “Serve” opportuni-ty. We will be joining forceswith the SHPC Preschool chil-dren and the Senior Adult Minis-try for some Christmas carolingand visiting at Emeritus Retire-ment Community at BeckettMeadows. Emeritus is locatedat 7709 Beckett Road — pleasemeet us there, ready to singand celebrate the Christmasseason. This is a fun, relaxedevent that will take approxi-mately one hour of your after-noon. We hope to see YOUthere!

For more information, pleasecontact Chris Gordon atchris@shpc.org .

SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS STUDENT MINISTRY DECEMBER 2011

9

So what exactly is Confirmation? First, it’s Fun!We have Crazy Videos,Deep Talks, a WeekendCamp and an Anti‐WorkWorkbook. Confirmation= Awesome and Fun!

In three simple words,Confirmation is a safe way for your teen to En-counter, Engage, and Respond to all that God isdoing in their lives. At Confirmation they decidewhere they are in their faith and explore why.

It is at Confirmation that our students are given achance to confirm their beliefs in God and toshare them with the whole church. It is reallyreally awesome!

Classes start on Sunday January 8th at 11 am inthe true lounge and run till Sunday March 18th.Confirmation is open to all 8th grade studentsthat are part of the SHPC community.

Topics include: Who Wrote The Bible?, Does theBible Contradict itself? Holy 3 in One Batman!,Why Should I Follow Jesus? and lotz more. Sign uponline at www.iamtrue.org or zip Pastor Mikean email mike@shpc.org .

SKI BOARDTHE BEST WEEKEND EVER

Feb 17th-Feb 20th 2012Time to find the GREATEST SNOWON EARTH! Join thetrue high school teamas we travel to findthe greatest snow onearth. This year’s tripwill be like no otherbefore it. We havean awesome location inTaos, NM! The snowshould be so sweet after a summer likethe one we just had.What can you expect at This year ’s win-

ter blast?

Adventure,Purpose,

Justice. Love.Bring your friends tothis life-changing 4-

day weekend with 2 days on theslopes. Space is limited and going fastso sign up now at

.Total registration cost is $425A $100 non-refundable deposit securesyour spot as well as first choice ofseating in your van!Save $65 and get an early bird discountfor registrations made before Thanks-giving —early bird only $360

true student ministries www.iamtrue.org

Angel Tree is HERE!Angels are already winging their way through SHPChands — catch yours today! For more details onwhat to do, see our sign in the narthex or check outmembers.shpc.org/children/events/AngelTree.php

Also, delivery help will be needed. We will be de-livering gifts the week of December 12-18 — help out on Sunday of Service!We will try to deliver Refugee Ser-vices gifts Saturday 17th.There will be lots ofbikes that will requiretrucks and trailers andlarge SUV's.

Contact Gay Langston with questions or to volun-teer. (512)607-6516 or gclangston@gmail.com .

Reminder from the Finance OfficeAll contributions for the 2011 tax year must be at thechurch by December 31, 2011 or mailed in an enve-lope postmarked no later than December 31, 2011.Anything received or postmarked January 1, 2012 orlater will be credited to 2012. Also, any 2011 pre-payments for your 2012 pledge should be marked as“2012” in the memo line.

Home at Jesus’ HouseSHPC will be hosting IHN (InterfaithHospitality Network) the week of De-cember 4th. Come share your timewith our guests and extend to them our SHPChospitality. This is an opportunity to get thewhole family involved! Children make greathosts for our young guests and give parents theopportunity to watch their children interactwith others. Sign up in the narthex or contactStuart McIntire stuart78704 @ yahoo.com / 788-4455 or Lara Manire 922-3615.

SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS STUDENT MINISTRY DECEMBER 2011

PAGE 10

11

National surveys conductedby the Barna organization

and others suggest that congre-gations are not as consumed bythe issues surrounding the wor-ship music controversy as weare led to believe by some me-dia. Actually, as the concept ofmusic becomes so intertwinedwith visual media, we are lulledinto a hypnotic state that sug-gests an obedient blind accep-tance of current music and asubmissiveness to its culturalbyproducts. Does this apparentindifferent attitude suggestthat music no longer occupiesthe meaningful, valuable posi-tion it once had in our liveseven though it is omnipresent incountless public, private, andpersonal environments?

Wrapping ourselves in iPodcocoons 24/7 has reduced

music to being just a differentform of distraction. The morewe listen in a passive mode, theless we hear until we are nolonger conscious of the “music”at all; at that point, we havetransformed it into yet anotherform of white noise. We may aswell be listening to jet enginesat 120 decibels. And music, likeso many other things that onceheld prominence in our livesand have faded from our aware-ness, rarely becomes a topic fordebate or discussion because itno longer matters. Has sacred,traditional church music andthe ways it functions within theworship space become for somecontemporary churches yet an-other disposable commodity?

All these issues seem to pointto an underlying question:

How do we approach the act ofworship? What is the state ofour mind and heart before, dur-ing, and after being in God’spresence to praise, thank, andhonor Him? The contemporaryvernacular so common inchurches today has reconstitut-ed the action verb, worship.Worship traditionally has beenimbued with rich meaning andceremony, but popular useseems to have transformed itinto a noun – a “thing” strippedof any associated imagery.When we fully appreciate andunderstand the profundity ofthe act of worship, only thenwe can draw near to the spiri-tual state of being that such aholy communion demands.

It is not a lighthearted nor joc-ular act to come before The

Creator of All That Is in praiseand worship. The process ofcorporate worship requires areceptive environment to helpus prepare for our confession,thanksgiving, and praise as weenter the church sanctuary (bydefinition, a refuge or safe ha-ven) before the start of worshipservices. How well we inviteand allow God’s spirit to per-meate that atmosphere withoutexternal, peripheral distrac-tions has a direct relation tothe security we feel that weare in a proper emotional andprepared place where Godwants us as we begin corporateworship.

The call to worship differsacross and within the de-

nominational spectrum. Inmany, it is an organ or pianoprelude; in others, a choirpiece. For some, the call toworship may be a music direc-tor or cantor’s leading the con-gregation in song or responsor-ial Scripture reading, while inothers still the call is a drum-mer’s four-count stick-click tostart the band. Each offers itsown intensity of a call-to-wor-ship setting, which in turn influ-ences how secure we feel in ourknowledge that we are wherewe should be in heart, mind,and body.

Regardless of your currentposition on the church music

issue, do this: pray for the wis-dom of spiritual discernmentwhen considering all music forworship. Pray for patience inyour struggle to cast aside thetemporal or the profane in wor-ship music for that which issanctified and sacred as dis-cernment reveals. Seek outnew knowledge and under-standing of the sacred role mu-sic has played throughoutchurch history. Pursue newscriptural knowledge and un-derstanding as you weigh popu-lar and unpopular music choicesfor worship. Set aside emotion-al responses and defensive posi-tioning based on personalpreferences, and instead usethe guidance offered by Scrip-ture, discernment, prayer, rea-son, logic, and critical thinking.

Musica Maestoso:The Majesty of Sacred Music and Traditional Hymns for WorshipIn this new column, Donn LeVie will be writing about sacred music and traditional hymns as used for worship as wellas composers and musicians who have contributed to the rich treasury of congregational song.

continued, page 13

12

Santiago Sal is from SanAndres Itzapa, Chimalenan-

go, Guatemala, but hasbeen in Dripping Springs

off and on for 25 years. Hiswife still lives in Guatema-

la. He has three childrenand four grandchildren. Hedoes remodeling and gen-

eral construction work.

Sarah Naper is a librarianat Texas State University.

She and her husbandmoved to Austin after sev-en years in Colorado, butshe's lived in Texas much

of her life before that.

Courtney & Nate Groves area house divided — Courtney isa Longhorn and Nate is an Ag-

gie. But they are united intheir excitement about SHPC!

not pictured:Frank & Carol Wade

Mary Jordan (here with Keira, 3, and Lucy Jordan, also a new mem-ber) moved to Austin 14 years ago from Scotland. She has two daugh-ters and two grandchildren. She enjoys music, tennis, & reading.

Marty Soques is mar-ried to Kimbol, whowas already a memberand is on the SHPCstaff. He has two mar-ried sons in their 20s,CJ and Danny, and two teen daughters, Alex and Bobbie.He works at AMD, and enjoys cooking, travel, and reading.

Mike & Paula Stiernberg are coming fromFirst United Methodist in Austin. They havetwo sons, Stanton (in 3rd grade) and John(in preschool).

Welcome,newSHPCmembers!

13

Asa & Donna Sphar

ANNIVERSARIES Mark & Mary Cognetti2 Dec Johann & Hester Louw,

Tracy & Mark Lord5 Dec Steve & Deborah Wagner9 Dec Jeff & Lori Whitmire11 Dec Jaco Steynberg & Elna

Reinach13 Dec Matthew & Kim Arthur14 Dec John & Sandi Moehlman15 Dec Tim and Summer Whitten18 Dec Gary & Nona May19 Dec Bruce & Maryellen

Albertson21 Dec Phillip & Jenny Callahan23 Dec Michael & Aimee Killeen26 Dec Hal & Sally Jo Elliott27 Dec Tommy & Stella Warner,

Richard & SusanKlusmann, Don & JodyBarrett

30 Dec Beaman & Carlen Floyd,Mike & Jennifer Bullock,Daryl & Amie Chalberg

SILVER ANNIVERSARY20 Dec Steve & Elisa Donnell

BIRTHDAYS1 Dec Ken Clapham, Kerry

Long, Wesley Hackett2 Dec Elna Reinach, Kelly

Coulter3 Dec Clem Hofmann, Debbi

Toh, James Pont

4 Dec Cheryl Olson, Bo Wilkes,Gina Hauck, Anne Streit,Sarah Wade, TaylorRobinson, Cade Wilkins

5 Dec Tommy Warner, SarahLane

6 Dec Nan Goodman, CurtisWilliams, BettyWilliams,BuddyStranahan,SharonPeurrung,DerekBrinks

7 Dec JamieMay, HollySpink, SuzanneLunsford, Alex Bay

8 Dec Evelyn Sorrell, Sally JoElliott, Dena Young

8 Dec Will Natale, TaylorCostin, BrookeSchneider, AddisonDoherty

9 Dec Fred Rothert, CyAlbertson, ThereseTubenzele, Kyle Landry

10 Dec Shelley Garrett, LauraMunoz, Madison Collier,Mason Macera

11 Dec Lydia Ellison, SusanMartin, Jana Collins,David Howard, LukeCostin, Graham Hutton

12 Dec Sam Segura, Dave Riffey

13 Dec Cindy Baschnagel,Elizabeth Fisher,Annabella Smith

14 Dec Colin Lineberry, BenValvano, Ashley Adams,James Peterson

15 Dec Gene Wright, MarioAndrade, Ashley Laird,Cora Lewis, AddisonGarcia

16 Dec Gary May,Sherry Todd, ClintBatte, Amanda Hyde,

Doug Frye17 Dec Marilyn Cook

18 Dec Steve Lenertz,Darcy Garrett, MaxRoland, John

Thomas, MatthewCabello

19 Dec Billy Baschnagel,Braeden Long, SebastianSegura

20 Dec Azam Waugh, ColemanProctor, Radmon Rice,Elaina Saul, IsaacSprouse, Megan Gerold

21 Dec Marylou Busch, MaryLynn Sheirer, Pat Webb,Britta Dukes, DylanFrench, Ireland Ginko,Carson Valdes

22 Dec Barron Vela, StacieTracy, AimeeKirkconnell, MichaelMunden, Toby Dailey

23 Dec Sue Shamburger, JimMeador, Maria Tissing,Kristin Grance, BrittanyBudd, Cullen Clouse,Aaron Bohl

24 Dec Howard Haberman, LauraBost, DeAnne Pearson,Mary Carnes, EmilyPellerin, ChristopherPearson, Simon Sprouse,Zander Smith

25 Dec Mia Folkers26 Dec Bill Stokes, Jayda

Balque, Madison Camp27 Dec Ramsay Mudgett, Shirley

Whiteaker, PamelaImmitt, Tim Whitten,Brenda Johnson, MarcPadovani, Chris Huntley,Hunter Slade, OliviaBrady, MasonWasserburger

28 Dec Susan Klusmann, LynnTunison, Terri Knox,Martin Ramirez

29 Dec Frances Tomlinson, SarahPeters, Kyle Parker,Major Bettridge

30 Dec Nancy Hines, BryanParker, Lilli Geen, TylerDavid

31 Dec Shirley Henry, SallySchilstra, StevePeurrung, Lori Whitmire,Mary Kennamer, ChrisLenertz

Welcome,(more)

newSHPC

members!Candice, Roger & Allison (not pictured) Keen

Worship music choices arenot a debatable matter;

they are a commitment tosomething beyond our personal

preferences. As the late, greatReformed theologian and phi-losopher Dr. Greg Bahnsentaught, “if you are committed

to Christ at any point on theChristian continuum, you mustbe committed to every pointalong it.”

Classical guitarist and church musician Donn LeVie Jr. is the author of It's All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sa-cred Music and Traditional Hymns, which was the Winner of the 2011 Global eBook Award for Christian Non-Fiction.He is also the author of Instrumental Influences: Reflections on the Classical Guitar from the Instrument's Most In-fluential Performers and Pedagogues, which was the Runner-Up of the 2011 Global eBook Award for Performing Arts.

continued, from page 11

14

Joys – James Crowder, friend of Tom & Mike McNelley, has returned safely from Afghanistan—Eric Huerta,Mike McNelley’s co-worker’s nephew, has returned from Kuwait—1st Lt. Robert Beardslee, USAF, grandson of Bob

& Carolyn Beardslee and husband of Jenna, has returned safely from Kyrgyzstan; he and Jenna are now stationed atRandolph AFB, near San Antonio—James & Jennifer Moore (and 2-yr-old Jessica) happily announce the birth of JanetteAmber Moore, who arrived October 30th—Cora Gotcher, the 5-month-old baby sister of SHPC preschoolers, back homesince November 4th—Mark & Tracy Lord are overjoyed to report that Mathew Dalton is home safe from Afghanistan

Sorrows – Judy Behr’s sister, Barbara Cox, passed away in the early hours of November 13th—Lou England, mother of JoyceStewart, passed away November 5th—Diane O’Leary’s sister, Rebecca Damron, passed away October 28th

Please pray for— Steve Riddle, health concerns—Gene Shamburger, gall bladder surgery—Sue Shamburger, gall bladdersurgery—Bob & Carolyn Beardslee’s 10-year-old friend Marybeth Barnes, infection and ruptured appendix—Sharon Daniel, DianeO’Leary’s daughter, heart attack —Marisa Stromberg, support during the time of her checkup, November 29th and 30th—BobBarker’s surgery has been postponed—Mike McNelley’s co-worker’s husband William Otero Sr., physical healing—Dick Klusmann,successful 4th hip surgery—Carl Luttenbacher, back at home and feeling well following hospitalization for unexpected blood loss—Karen Cox, good news following liver scan—Gene Shamburger, husband of Sue, surgery to repair his back, broken in four places—the Gilchrists’ friend, Curt Burns, gall bladder attack and blood clot in his leg—the family of Benjamin Jones of Kingwood, TX,who passed away very unexpectedly November 6th—the grandmother of preschool teacher Rebekah Arredondo passed away Fridaymorning—Chimwemwe Mhango’s wife Linda’s brother died suddenly—Vic Barnett remains in rehab following a stroke—StuartMcIntire’s boyfriend, Tom Grant, multiple broken bones in a motorcycle accident—Jim Rogers, friend of Gloria Drake, hospitalizedand not expected to live—the Gilchrists’ friend, Yvonne O’Rourke, pancreatic cancer—the Gilchrists’ friend, Curt Burns, herniasurgery—the Gilchrists’ friend, Stan Barnes, heart surgery—Megan Meier, infant niece of Karen Thomsen’s co-worker, teratomason spine and neck—Fran Webb, mother of Carlen Floyd, recurrence of cancer, now in liver and testing to see if it’s in the bones—Teddy Sweredoski, friend of Stan & Jessica Wade, recently deployed—Sheryl Hall’s young friend Alex, severe leukemia —SherylHall’s stepmother Liz Hall, cancer in her back—Betty O’Hair, sister of Modena Dailey, amputated leg—Austin, the city where we’replanted—the leadership of SHPC as they discern a path for our future—Pastor Kenneth Muyira & the congregation of ManyamulaPresbyterian Church—Pastor Chimwemwe Mhango and his family

Please pray for members of the Armed Forces, loved ones, and all world leaders involved in war zone crises including:Teddy Sweredoski, friend of Stan & Jessica Wade... Lynda & Robert Wade’s niece’s husband Dan Ireland... E.J.Session, son of Deb Erlanson's co-worker Roberta Floyd... David Lee Stowbridge, son of Oscar Erlanson's co-worker Robert Stowbridge... Rebekah Frost, neighbor of the Lawrence family... Pattie Lawrence's cousin, MarkHollahan… Tyler Moser, son of a friend of Dee & Greg Merrell... Temple & Janet Ingram’s daughter KateIngram... Christopher Lehmann, son of Mark Lehmann... Larry Roberman, brother of Lori Whitmire... Derek &Kristi Fisher's nephew, John Fisher...

Thank you, IHN Volunteers!Thanks to our volunteers during the week of September 11-18, 2011! You have followedGod's command and shown compassion for our brothers and sisters in their time of crisis.

May God's blessings be returned to you.

We can’t do it without our GREAT volunteers! If we've missed your name or misspelled it, pleaselet us know and we do apologize. Stuart McIntire stuart78704@yahoo.com / 788-445.

Thank you! Volunteers-Girl Scout Troop 1977, RebeccaBerryman, Laura Bost, Andrea Brauer, Bill Brock, Barba-ra Christenson, Julie Demaree, Mike Devlin, Elisa Don-nell, Carl & David Floto, Sue Frye, Laura Gore, DonGreathouse, Kim Grubb, Greg Guernsey, Rebekah Hidro-go, Byron Hilton, Dawn & Taylor Houston, Alissa & Ram-sey Hutton, Linda Icenhauer-Ramirez, Claudia Lauber,Liz Maxfield, Kristen May, Chris & Sarah Morgan, EmilyMorris, Tom & Mo O'Meara; Angela, Lauren, and JamesPeterson, Chris & Kim Schafer, Tary & Nita Snyder, Scott

Sterling, Victoria Venditelli, Beth Watson, David Wheel-er, Tim & Josh Whitten, Chester Wuest, Caren Zysk ::Donors-Rebecca Berryman, Michael & Jennifer Bullock,Lisa Dillard, Kristin Garcia, Jane Hall, Linda Jones, GayLangston, Nancy McDonald, Jo Anna McMenemy, MoO'Meara, Kathy Segura, Pat Seyfarth, Tommye Sprotte,Lisa & Samuel Teeple, Jane Thompson, Maryjayne Vlad,Jessica Wade —working with volunteers from our sup-porting churches Faith Presbyterian, Abiding Love Lu-theran, & St. Catherine’s

15

1 T

hurs

day

11 a

.m.

Mar

y-M

arth

a C

ircl

e, n

arth

ex3

Satu

rday

10:3

0 a.

m.

Fam

ily A

dven

t Cra

ft D

ay, F

MC

S

AM

@ T

rini

ty C

hild

Dev

elop

men

t Cen

ter

4 S

unda

y

2nd

Sund

ay o

f Adv

ent

11 a

.m.

Con

greg

atio

nal M

eetin

gIH

N b

egin

s5:

30 p

.m.

Chr

istm

as P

agea

nt6

p.m

. Fo

unda

tions

Chr

istm

as P

otlu

ck, F

MC

6 Tu

esda

y7

p.m

.Pr

ayer

Sha

wl M

inis

try,

77

Wed

nesd

ay6:

15 p

.m.

last

Wed

nesd

ay N

ight

Liv

e un

til F

ebru

ary

8 T

hurs

day

7 p.

m.

Book

Gro

up, B

10 S

atur

day

8:30

a.m

. FI

LO @

IHN

11:3

0 a.

m.

Fello

wsh

ip L

unch

Bun

ch11

Sun

day

3rd

Sund

ay o

f Adv

ent

9:30

& 1

1 a.

m. B

lueg

rass

Chr

istm

as12

Foun

datio

ns A

ngel

Tre

e G

ift-W

rapp

ing

Part

y, F

MC

IHN

end

s5:

30 p

.m.

FILO

: you

ng a

dult,

libr

ary

6 p.

m.

Fam

ily C

hris

tmas

Car

ol S

ing

JA

NU

AR

Y N

EWSL

ETTE

R D

EAD

LIN

E13

Tue

sday

10 a

.m.

“Gro

an”-

Ups

Gam

e D

ay, 7

3:30

p.m

. C

hris

tmas

Car

olin

g @

Em

eritu

s7

p.m

.Pr

ayer

Sha

wl M

inis

try,

714

Wed

nesd

ay6:

15 p

.m.

Kid

Stuf

!, FM

C(n

o Fo

unda

tions

this

wee

k)15

Thu

rsda

y10

a.m

.Pr

ayer

Sha

wl M

inis

try,

A12

Bo

ok G

roup

, 717

Sat

urda

y4:

30 p

.m.

FILO

-z N

avid

ad!

18 S

unda

y 4t

h Su

nday

of A

dven

t9:

30 &

11

a.m

. Chr

istm

as C

anta

ta12

Sund

ay o

f Ser

vice

23 W

edne

sday

23 F

rida

yTh

e ch

urch

offi

ce c

lose

s at

noo

n fo

r the

Chr

istm

as h

oli-

day.

It w

ill re

open

Mon

day,

26

Dec

embe

r, fo

r hal

f-da

ys u

ntil

Janu

ary

3rd .

JAN

UA

RY c

hild

care

requ

est d

eadl

ine

24 S

unda

y C

hris

tmas

Eve

4 p.

m. &

11

a.m

. Chr

istm

as E

ve F

amily

Ser

vice

5:15

p.m

. C

andl

elit

Serv

ice

6:45

& 8

:15

p.m

. Can

dlel

it C

omm

unio

n Se

rvic

e27

Sun

day

Chr

istm

as D

ay10

:30

a.m

. M

edita

tive

wor

ship

1 Su

nday

N

ew Y

ear’s

Day

10:3

0 a.

m.

All-

Chu

rch

wor

ship

EVER

Y W

EEK

Sund

ay9:

30 &

11

a.m

. U

pStr

eet,

the

Ark

6 p.

m.

true

: hig

h sc

hool

/ tr

ue: d

eep,

Stu

-de

nt A

ctiv

ity C

ente

rM

onda

y9:

30 a

.m.

Dis

cipl

e 2,

FM

C7

p.m

. D

isci

ple

1, li

brar

yTu

esda

y10

a.m

. Ic

ing

on th

e C

ake,

A7

p.m

. Fi

nanc

ial P

eace

Uni

vers

ity, B

(end

sD

ec. 6

th)

Wed

nesd

ay5:

30 p

.m.

Din

ner @

Wed

nesd

ay N

ight

Liv

e6

p.m

. tr

ue: t

wee

n /

mid

dle

, Stu

dent

Ac-

tivity

Cen

ter

6:15

p.m

. W

edne

sday

Nig

ht L

ive

(exc

ept o

nK

idSt

uf! W

eeks

)6:

30 p

.m.

Foun

datio

ns, 7

7:30

p.m

. Pr

aise

& W

orsh

ip T

eam

rehe

arsa

l,sa

nctu

ary

Thur

sday

9:30

a.m

. M

OPS

(Mot

hers

of P

resc

hool

ers)

/M

YC (M

othe

rs o

f You

ng C

hild

ren)

Dev

otio

nal,

FMC

10 a

.m.

Ass

ocia

tion

of R

etir

ed C

hris

tian

Men

, A (n

ot 2

nd T

hurs

day)

7 p.

m.

Can

tata

Cho

ir r

ehea

rsal

, san

ctua

ry ::

Cal

vin,

7 (e

nds

Dec

. 8th

)7:

45 p

.m.

Wor

ship

Cho

ir r

ehea

rsal

, san

ctua

ryFe

el fr

ee t

o te

ar o

ff a

nd sa

ve t

his p

age

to h

elp

you

keep

on

top

of e

very

thin

g th

at’s

hap

peni

ng a

t Sh

ephe

rd o

f the

Hil

ls!